Opinion

This day came a little earlier than I supposed it would. Ben Sheets' season is now officially over. Possibly his career. Twice at the quarter season and half way points, I have given Sheets an overall grade. Now, instead of having two more reviews, I am forced to give my final one with his season ending surgery.

Sheets plans on having flexor-tendon surgery, mostly so that he can pitch again if he would like to; but he stated: "If I came back, I would have to feel a lot better." (San Francisco Chronicle).

Friday night, the New York Yankees are at Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays, and it will be a true battle of the young guns on the mound.

Since pitching and defense will dictate the outcomes of all three games, the match-ups on the mound will set the tone. Let's look at the Friday night's pitchers.

During a year in which pitchers are being sold for remarkably low prices, the Minnesota Twins announced last night that they had traded Wilson Ramos to the Washington Nationals for closer Matt Capps. On the face of things, it seems a very high price to pay for a closer.

In a very deadline-type day, three major deals took place less than 48 hours before the clock will strike 12 on potential trades.

Which teams got the best deals? Which players will have a greater stretch run impact? Which teams set themselves up for the short term, or the long haul?

Here's a brief analysis of the day's big moves:

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By tomorrow night, Roy Oswalt will take the mound in a Philadelphia uniform.

After the 32-year-old ace dropped his no trade clause and accepted the trade from the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies, Oswalt joins a team dedicated to winning.

That is exactly what Oswalt was looking for, and he may be exactly what the Phillies need in order to win their second World Series in three years.

The Phillies were the clear winner in this trade with the Astros, as Philly received one of the best pitchers in the league, along with $11 million.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Tampa Bay Rays are currently the "favorites" to land the Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn.

Is there really another deal that makes this much sense? 

The Rays could use another slugger. Dunn could use the playoff spotlight to propel himself to a major contract in the off-season.

So why does this deal seem almost too good to be true?

The Oakland A's came in tonight's game against the American League West division leading Texas Rangers, but yet again the A's were burned by a pitcher being left in a game too long. 

Vin Mazzaro didn't have an easy time with the Rangers lineup. At one point Michael Young, Vladimir Guerrero, and Josh Hamilton combined to go 6-6. The telling stat though is the fact in five and a third innings Mazzaro gave up 12 hits! 

The Washington Nationals made a substantive trade Thursday and it had nothing at all to do with Adam Dunn.

Go figure.

The Nationals traded All-Star closer Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins for minor league catcher Wilson Ramos.

The Nationals just got a whole lot better.

Capps, who saved his 25th game on Thursday, has a record of 3-3 with a fine ERA of just 2.80. The 26-year-old has already saved 92 major league games.

There is no doubt that the Jays' Jose Bautista is having a terrific season in Toronto. Likewise, the Jays seem willing to part with the right fielder.

But just how much should a club be willing to part with for a guy who suddenly comes out of nowhere to post astronomical numbers that are extremely out of line with his career norms?

Look, in the steroid era, we would be very suspicious of a guy like Bautista, who has already hit 30 homers this season after never having hit more than 16 in a season previously.